Ryan Clark

Hi, I recently moved to Bangkok, Thailand-from Vancouver BC, Canada-to support my Thai wife and our new born son. After reading your post, I took the time to reflect about the pro's and con's of living or raising a family here. Obviously, on this social platform, people will suggest to do many things, yet, I hope you make the most informative decision. It is appealing to live in a tropical country with a lower cost of living; it is appealing to be joyous of your new Thai family; it is appealing to learn about a new culture and its gastronomy; it is appealing to be able to bring your currency into a nation that gives you copious advantages, and it is appealing to fantasize about it all. However, raising a child in the kingdom can be extremely challenging as well. The upsides in Thailand are things we all enjoy, yet, the pitfalls are hard to ignore: sex tourism industry and how it is normalized, the corruption with police, the hygiene and the uncleanliness, the arrogance towards expats (Thailand is not like Mexico), the juxtaposition between the rich and the poor; ivory towers beside garden shacks. And if you discuss these issues with Thai's, the response will always be, "if you don't like it then leave." More importantly, Thailand is not a democracy, nor do they value it. But it's fundamental for individuation and becoming inquisitive; learning to ask questions is necessitated for post secondary education. They call this place the land of smiles...Do I dare to disagree? lol, I am going to end the rant. Overall there are amazing things in Thailand and I do have an incredible family here, fortunately my wife has agreed to move back to Canada to raise our child. There is a consensus between us about her country: it is still a playground for tourists. Therefore, it is my belief that is important for you to think about these issues, because they are relevant and will affect how your child perceives the world.